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Apple has lost a trio of top executives in India in recent weeks as it struggles to boost iPhone sales in the fastest smartphone market in the world, according to people close to the folder.
Among the executives who left are his national chief of sales and distribution, the head of its commercial channels and middle market business, and the chief of telecom sales, said the people, who asked for not to be identified discuss internal issues. The Exodus Executive is a symptom of Apple's persistent malaise in India, where high tariffs inflate the prices of imported gadgets such as the iPhone and consumers gravitate towards India. cheaper alternatives from Xiaomi and Samsung. Instead, the company uses a few generations of marketing iPhones and does not manufacture its latest models on the domestic market, resulting in import levies.
Publicly optimistic comments from CEO Tim Cook, who used phrases like "very optimistic" and "very optimistic" when talking about the Asian country.
Michel Coulomb, who took the lead in Indian operations In December 2017, while Mr. Coulomb has a wealth of experience in operator sales, his team has been slow to cultivate business relationships on the market, according to the same source. Apple has also struggled to understand the country, leaving the sales team without direction, they said. Company representatives in India did not respond to questions sent by email.
Apple's failure to embark on India worsens its problems elsewhere in Asia – the iPhone X for example has been a disappointment in China. In India, where it holds a market share of about 2%, Apple has sold only 3.2 million iPhones in 2017, according to Counterpoint Research. In the first half of 2018, less than a million devices were moved.
India's sales were weak in the first half of 2018 and, although they are posting a big jump in the traditionally strong second half, Apple will still be falling short of last year, "said Neil Shah, research director at Counterpoint.
Cook suggested that India could be the next China, which is now the second largest market of Apple. While the price tag of the iPhone puts it out of reach for the most part, the CEO predicted that young Indians who aspire to climb the socio-economic ladder would seek more and more to modernize.In May this year he declared at a conference call with investors that India had set a new sales record in the first half.
The world's most successful company has recently stepped up its business. starting from mid-2017 to bademble some of his old models in the country. But you have to do more, said Shah.
"He did not put a lot of attention or investment in India because the market is so tiny," Shah said. The inattention could send more users on Android phones, making it difficult for Apple to create a user base and build loyalty. "It's a Catch-22 situation for Apple in India."
© 2018 Bloomberg LP
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